céu

/ˈsɛw/

//ˈsɛw// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“céu” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #1,163) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#1,163
frequency rank, Portuguese
3,948
“C” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - parte do espaço que parece formar uma abóbada em cima de nossas cabeças; abóbada celeste

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

céu vs co
33% similar
céu vs cu
67% similar
céu vs ci
33% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for céu
PropertyValue
Headwordcéu
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛw/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,163
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “céu” sits in Portuguese frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). céu lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for céu is neighbouring look-alikes ("co", "cu", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈsɛw/. Frequency #1,163 among 3,948 “C” headwords. 5 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

céu doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "co", "cu", "ci", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Portuguese form is céu, spelled C-É-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    parte do espaço que parece formar uma abóbada em cima de nossas cabeças; abóbada celeste
  2. 2
    região superior, tida como morada da divindade e dos bem-aventurados; Paraíso; Éden
  3. 3
    a divindade ela mesma
  4. 4
    o ar, atmosfera
  5. 5
    espaço infinito no qual se movem os astros

This word in other languages

sky(English)cielo(Español)ciel(Français)Himmel(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "céu"?
"céu" is spelled C-É-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛw/.
What does "céu" mean?
As a noun, "céu" means: parte do espaço que parece formar uma abóbada em cima de nossas cabeças; abóbada celeste
What words are commonly confused with "céu"?
"céu" is commonly confused with "co", "cu", "ci". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "céu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "céu" is /ˈsɛw/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "céu" come from?
"céu" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “céu”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is C-É-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsɛw/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “co” - see the side-by-side comparison. céu vs co
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words

Words at a similar Portuguese frequency

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list